Improvement in the manufacture of gunpowder



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

F. s. ALLEN, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTUREOF GUNPOWDER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,567, dated October 9, 1866.

' and useful Improvement in the Manufacture of Powder; and I do hereby declare that the fol- 'lowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use it.

This invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of that classot' blastillg and gun powder which is composed of an explosive compound mixed with any vegetable or other substance, such as paper, sawdust, &c.

Heretofore the operation of saturatin g paper or other vegetable material with an explosive compound has been efi'ected by complicated machinery, or by mixing the several articles together in a dry or in a cold state. Instead of this I place the paper or other vegetable substance to be impregnated with the explosive compound, together with the solution of said compound, in a suitable boiler and heat the mass, so as to evaporate the liquid wholly or partially. By these means a homogeneous mass is obtained which consists of the vegetable substance thoroughly and uniformly saturated with the explosive compound. The material thus obtained, after being dried, is ready for use.

The explosive compound, which I combine with paper or other fibrous material, is made as follows: binoxide of manganese, twentythree parts; chlorate of potash, sixty-two parts; nitrate of potash, thirty-one parts ferrocyanide of potassium, fifteen parts.

By treating paper with this compound by my process a granulated substance is obtained which can be used with great facility for blasting purposes; but by substituting sawdust for the paper I obtain a fine powder fit for firearms of every description.

Having thus described my in vention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patcut-- The within-described process of saturating paper or other substance with an explosive compound, by boiling the same together, substantially as set forth.

FRANK S. ALLEN.

Witnesses:

WM. F. MONAMARA, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

